No fatalities

7 Apr 2012: LUSCOMBE 8E — Westport, WA

Westport, WA, United States

On 7 Apr 2012, a LUSCOMBE 8E was involved in an aviation accident near Westport, WA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s inadequate crosswind compensation, which resulted in a loss of directional control during the landing roll. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot reported that during landing with a quartering headwind, the airplane bounced, drifted off the runway, and nosed over after rolling into a trough, causing structural damage.

Accident Sequence

A pilot reported that while on short final approach, a left quartering headwind of 10 to 15 knots was present. The pilot descended using an airspeed approximately 5 knots higher than normal. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced. It then began drifting toward the edge of the runway. Despite the pilot's attempts to correct the drift, the airplane veered off the runway surface and rolled onto an adjacent grassy area. As the airplane decelerated on the grass, it rolled into a trough that was about 1 foot deep, causing the airplane to nose over.

Damage Assessment

The nose-over event resulted in the windshield breaking, engine mounts bending, and the vertical stabilizer and rudder sustaining bending damage. Additional airframe damage was also reported. The pilot stated that no mechanical malfunction or failure occurred with the airplane during the accident flight.

Contributing factors

Causes

Crosswind correction — Not attained/maintainedDirectional control — Not attained/maintainedResponse/compensationPilot

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcome